Chapter 93

Chapter 93: Chapter 93 Before Clayton lay a heartbreaking sight. Gemma—the gentle, lively doe who had seemed so healthy—was now trembling violently, letting out strange, pained cries. Alarmed, Clayton rushed to her side. The moment his hand touched her forehead, he flinched—it was burning hot, searing against his palm. Yet the rest of her body felt normal, leaving him confused and increasingly anxious. Panic began to take hold as he tried to recall anything useful from his past life. He remembered learning that dangerously high fevers could cause brain damage. Without hesitation, he got to work—placing cold compresses on her, brewing herbal tea, and lighting calming incense. Once the tea was ready, he offered it to Gemma. At first, she refused, but after some gentle coaxing, she finally drank it. Her condition slowly began to stabilize. Clayton sighed in relief—only for her to suddenly groan again, more sharply this time. "What’s wrong, Gemma?" he asked, his voice filled with worry. "Angg~ Angg~" Gemma kept crying out, clearly trying to communicate something—but he couldn’t understand. In desperation, he turned to Dingo. "Dingo, do you know what she’s saying?" "Owwwllll~ Owwwllll~" Dingo howled and pointed at Gemma’s belly. "Her stomach? Is it indigestion? Diarrhea?" "Owwwllll~ Owwwllll~" Dingo howled again, clearly rejecting the guess. Clayton looked closer at Gemma’s swollen belly—and then it hit him. "Wait... Is she—? Is she going into labor? Is it happening now?!" Grrr... Dingo growled and nodded, confirming his suspicion. Clayton froze. He’d never seen a birth before—he had no idea what to do. "Angg~" Gemma thrashed again, leaving no time to think. Snapping out of his panic, Clayton focused on what he could do: make her as comfortable as possible. He remembered that in the wild, animals typically gave birth without assistance. His job now was to keep her safe, warm, and undisturbed. He quickly sterilized the area and summoned five mini skeletons who weren’t on guard duty. Assigning each of them a task, he then began channeling purifying energy from his Entry into Gemma’s body. Gradually, she calmed down. Clayton stayed at her side, waiting anxiously. Half an hour passed. Then the contractions began. "Angggg~" Gemma’s cry echoed through the dome as she pushed with all her strength. Clayton could only stay close, offering soft words and gentle touches. He wiped her sweat and continued channeling calming energy into her. Slowly, a translucent sac began to emerge—it was the amniotic sac. Clayton held his breath. This was his first time witnessing a live birth. The process was painfully slow, each inch gained only through Gemma’s effort. Then, out of nowhere, Clayton sensed a familiar surge—dark energy. He immediately recognized it as the remnant corruption that had long lingered in Gemma’s body. The birthing process had triggered it. He channeled more purifying energy into her, trying to suppress the disturbance and allow the delivery to continue. The sac continued to slide out. It looked fragile, and Clayton feared it might rupture—but there was nothing he could do except wait. Gemma strained harder while Dingo paced nearby, clearly agitated but careful not to interfere. Just as the sac was almost fully out, the dark energy surged again—far more violently than before. Clayton panicked. He tried to suppress it again, but this time his energy barely made a dent. The darkness was resisting, growing wild and unstable. He called over two more skeletons to help with the purification, but even with their support, the corruption didn’t vanish—it simply stagnated, held back but not dispelled. Clayton exhaled heavily. It wasn’t spreading anymore—but it also wasn’t gone. If they stopped now, it might explode. Then he remembered the purification scroll in his storage. He quickly had one of the skeletons fetch and activate it. A soft, divine glow surrounded Gemma’s body. Slowly, the dark energy began to fade. Relieved, Clayton rotated between the scroll’s power and the Entry energy, conserving strength while maintaining steady purification. Eventually, the birthing process resumed. A short while later, the amniotic sac broke—but by then, the baby was nearly out, so it wasn’t a concern. With one final push, the sac slid free. Clayton let out a long breath. He stared at the sac in awe. Gemma, exhausted, rested briefly before moving forward to lick it clean. As she did, the shape inside became visible. Clayton’s eyes widened. Two fawns. Two! The second fawn was... wrong. Its fur shimmered darkly, absorbing light instead of reflecting it. Its eyes hadn’t opened—but they pulsed, faintly, like a heart. A wide smile spread across his face. More companions meant more help in the future. "Buy one, get two," he chuckled softly. "Good deal." Excited, he leaned in for a closer look. The first fawn was delicate and snow-white, radiating a soft, calming light. Then Clayton looked at the second one—and froze. "Huh? What... what is this?" he muttered, confused. In that instant, a violent surge of dark energy exploded from within his body. Clayton staggered, nearly falling. He forced the energy down using his own purification techniques. But the more he fought it, the stronger it became. His expression darkened. This wasn’t the same darkness that had haunted Gemma—it was worse. Far worse. He shouted for the skeletons to purify him using both the Entry energy and the purification scroll. The surge finally stopped growing—but it didn’t shrink either. It hung inside him, a stagnant, seething presence. Clayton reached for two more skeletons, but before he could command them, a cold wave ran up his spine. His body convulsed violently. Despite the icy sensation within, his body reacted the opposite way—his face flushed, sweat poured down, and steam rose from his skin. "Arghhh..." Clayton winced in pain, his mind spiraling. He couldn’t understand what was happening. Every muscle ached. His head throbbed. His limbs weakened. His thoughts blurred. He was losing consciousness. The aggressive energy was attacking him from the inside—and he had no way to stop it. His vision faded. The last thing he saw was Gemma... and her two newborns. Dingo and Gemma, seeing Clayton collapse and writhe in agony, immediately panicked—and rushed toward him. Meanwhile, Clayton, who was on the verge of losing consciousness, no longer paid attention to them—his thoughts had drifted off to who knows where.